DS Ds3 MOT pass rate & common failures
194,957 MOT tests on the DS Ds3 (2012–2023) give it an 81.5% pass rate. Superminis of a similar age fail 14.5% of the time, so this is 3.9pp worse than the group it competes with. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, body, structure & corrosion and visibility.
Best and worst Ds3 years
Ranked across Ds3 years with at least 1,000 tests. Older cars fail more simply because they are older — compare years close together in age before drawing conclusions.
What the MOT record shows
Build year matters more than the headline suggests: 2019 cars pass 89.3% of the time while 2015 cars manage 76.6%, a 12.7-point spread.
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (8.3%) and body, structure & corrosion (5.8%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are joints, wipers and headlamp aim — joints alone was recorded 9,900 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 11.1% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 28.8% once past 150k — 2.6× the risk.
Split by fuel, diesel examples fail 6.2pp more often than petrol ones (22.8% vs 16.6%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 27.1% of tests without failing them.
The trend is worsening — 14.4% of tests failed in 2021 against 22.1% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every Ds3 model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 42,194 | 76.6% | 23.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2016 | 72,593 | 80.0% | 20.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2017 | 42,865 | 83.7% | 16.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2018 | 19,993 | 86.7% | 13.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2019 | 11,036 | 89.3% | 10.7% | Visibility |
| 2020 | 4,108 | 87.3% | 12.7% | Visibility |
| 2021 | 1,582 | 87.6% | 12.4% | Visibility |
| 2022 | 523 | 90.1% | 9.9% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 8.3% | 16,081 |
| 2 | Body, structure & corrosion | 5.8% | 11,384 |
| 3 | Visibility | 5.7% | 11,038 |
| 4 | Tyres | 5.4% | 10,536 |
| 5 | Suspension | 5.0% | 9,696 |
| 6 | Brakes | 3.8% | 7,322 |
| 7 | Emissions & environmental | 1.3% | 2,544 |
| 8 | Steering | 1.1% | 2,251 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joints | 9,900 |
| 2 | Wipers | 7,921 |
| 3 | Headlamp aim | 7,351 |
| 4 | Coil spring | 7,320 |
| 5 | Tread depth | 6,231 |
| 6 | Headlamp | 5,396 |
| 7 | Position lamp | 5,240 |
| 8 | Washers | 5,031 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 27.1% | 52,843 |
| 2 | Brakes | 24.1% | 47,062 |
| 3 | Body, structure & corrosion | 8.9% | 17,370 |
| 4 | Suspension | 7.5% | 14,629 |
| 5 | Other defects | 5.4% | 10,447 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 4.1% | 7,967 |
Failure rate by mileage
Higher-mileage cars tend to fail more — often the most useful guide to real condition.
| Mileage band | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 52,057 | 11.1% |
| 30-60k | 94,887 | 19.0% |
| 60-90k | 38,181 | 24.8% |
| 90-120k | 8,142 | 27.8% |
| 120-150k | 1,321 | 27.9% |
| 150k+ | 340 | 28.8% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 136,231 | 16.6% |
| Diesel | 58,716 | 22.8% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 34,566 | 14.4% |
| 2022 | 37,825 | 15.9% |
| 2023 | 40,044 | 18.6% |
| 2024 | 40,742 | 20.3% |
| 2025 | 41,780 | 22.1% |
What to check before buying a DS Ds3
- Lighting & signalling (8.3% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Body, structure & corrosion (5.8% of tests): The one to take seriously on older cars — corrosion to structural areas can be costly and is an MOT failure. Typical repair: £200–£1,500+.
- Visibility (5.7% of tests): Wipers, washers, mirrors and screen damage — usually inexpensive, but check for chips in the driver's line of sight. Typical repair: £15–£150.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for the DS Ds3?
81.5% of the 194,957 DS Ds3 MOT tests in this dataset passed, an 18.5% fail rate, across model years 2012–2023.
What does the DS Ds3 most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 8.3% of tests, then body, structure & corrosion (5.8%).
Which Ds3 years are best and worst for MOT results?
2019 has the best pass rate at 89.3% and 2015 the weakest at 76.6%, from 11,036 and 42,194 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Ds3 MOT results?
Fail rates run at 11.1% for cars in the 0-30k band and 28.8% for 150k+, a 17.8-point difference.
Is the petrol or diesel Ds3 more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 16.6% of the time against 22.8% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 194,957 MOT tests. Dataset: DVSA MOT testing data (2021,2022,2023,2024,2025). Data last updated 2026-07-27. Figures reflect MOT-testable defects only — read the methodology for how these are calculated and what they don't measure.